Montaigne；　but　she　kept　Rousseau　apart　from　the　others。　　She　devoured　the　books　of　the　moralists　and　poets；　La　Bruyere；　Pope；　Milton；　Dante；　Virgil；　Shakespeare。　　All　this　reading　was　too　much　for　her　and　excited　her　brain。　　She　had　reserved　Chateaubriand's　_Rene_；　and；　on　reading　that；　she　was　overcome　by　the　sadness　which　emanates　from　these　distressing　pages。　　She　was　disgusted　with　life；　and　attempted　to　commit　suicide。　　She　tried　to　drown　herself；　and　only　owed　her　life　to　the　healthy…mindedness　of　the　good　mare　Colette；　as　the　horse　evidently　had　not　the　same　reasons　as　its　young　mistress　for　wishing　to　put　an　end　to　its　days。
  All　this　time　Aurore　was　entirely　free　to　please　herself。　　Deschartres；　who　had　always　treated　her　as　a　boy；　encouraged　her　independence。　　It　was　at　his　instigation　that　she　dressed　in　masculine　attire　to　go　out　shooting。　　People　began　to　talk　about　her　〃eccentricities〃　at　Landerneau；　and　the　gossip　continued　as　far　as　La　Chatre。　　Added　to　this；　Aurore　began　to　study　osteology　with　a　young　man　who　lived　in　the　neighbourhood；　and　it　was　said　that　this　young　man；　Stephane　Ajasson　de　Grandsaigne；　gave　her　lessons　in　her　own　room。　　This　was　the　climax。
  We　have　a　curious　testimony　as　regards　the　state　of　the　young　girl's　mind　at　this　epoch。　　A　review；　entitled　_Le　Voile　de　pourpre_；　published　recently；　in　its　first　number；　a　letter　from　Aurore　to　her　mother；　dated　November　18；　1821。　　Her　mother　had　evidently　written　to　her　on　hearing　the　gossip　about　her；　and　had　probably　enlarged　upon　it。
  〃You　reproach　me；　mother；　with　neither　having　timidity；　modesty；　nor　charm；〃　she　writes；　〃or　at　least　you　suppose　that　I　have　these　qualities；　but　that　I　refrain　from　showing　them；　and　you　are　quite　certain　that　I　have　no　outward　decency　nor　decorum。　　You　ought　to　know　me　before　judging　me　in　this　way。　　You　would　then　be　able　to　form　an　opinion　about　my　conduct。　　Grandmother　is　here；　and；　ill　though　she　is；　she　watches　over　me　carefully　and　lovingly；　and　she　would　not　fail　to　correct　me　if　she　considered　that　I　had　the　manners　of　a　dragoon　or　of　a　hussar。〃
  She　considered　that　she　had　no　need　of　any　one　to　guide　or　protect　her；　and　no　need　of　leading…strings。
  〃I　am　seventeen；〃　she　says；　〃and　I　know　my　way　about。〃
  If　this　Monsieur　de　Grandsaigne　had　ventured　to　take　any　liberty　with　her；　she　was　old　enough　to　take　care　of　herself。
  Her　mother　had　blamed　her　for　learning　Latin　and　osteology。　　〃Why　should　a　woman　be　ignorant？〃　she　asks。　　〃Can　she　not　be　well　educated　without　this　spoiling　her　and　without　being　pedantic？　　Supposing　that　I　should　have　sons　in　the　future；　and　that　I　had　profited　sufficiently　by　my　studies　to　be　able　to　teach　them；　would　not　a　mother's　lessons　be　as　good　as　a　tutor's？〃
  She　was　already　challenging　public　opinion；　starting　a　campaign　against　false　prejudices；　showing　a　tendency　to　generalize；　and　to　make　the　cause　of　one　woman　the　cause　of　all　women。
  We　must　now　bear　in　mind　the　various　traits　we　have　discovered；　one　after　another；　in　Aurore's　character。　　We　must　remember　to　what　parentage　she　owed　her　intellectuality　and　her　sentimentality。　　It　will　then　be　more　easy　to　understand　the　terms　she　uses　when　describing　her　fascination　for　Rousseau's　writings。
  〃The　language　of　Jean…Jacques　and　the　form　of　his　deductions　impressed　me　as　music　might　have　done　when　heard　in　brilliant　sunshine。　　I　compared　him　to　Mozart；　and　I　understood　everything。〃
  She　understood　him；　for　she　recognized　herself　in　him。　　She　sympathized　with　that　predominance　of　feeling　and　imagination；　that　exaggeration　of　sentiment；　that　preference　for　life　according　to　Nature；　that　emotion　on　beholding　the　various　sights　of　the　country；　that　distrust　of　people；　those　effusions　of　religious　sentimentality；　those　solitary　reveries；　and　that　melancholy　which　made　death　seem　desirable　to　him。　　All　this　was　to　Aurore　Dupin　the　gospel　according　to　Rousseau。　　The　whole　of　her　psychology　is　to　be　found　here。
  She　was　an　exceptional　being　undoubtedly；　but　in　order　to　be　a　genial　exception　one　must　have　within　oneself；　and　then　personify　with　great　intensity　all　the　inspirations　which；　at　a　certain　moment；　are　dispersed　in　the　atmosphere。　　Ever　since　the　great　agitation　which　had　shaken　the　moral　world　by　Rousseau's　preaching；　there　had　been　various　vague　currents　and　a　whole　crowd　of　confused　aspirations　floating　about。　　It　was　this　enormous　wave　that　entered　a　feminine　soul。　　Unconsciously　Aurore　Dupin　welcomed　the　new　ideal；　and　it　was　this　ideal　which　was　to　operate　within　her。　　The　question　was；　what　would　she　do　with　it；　in　presence　of　life　with　all　its　everyday　and　social　realities。　　This　question　is　the　object　of　our　study。　　In　the　solution　of　it　lies　the　interest；　the　drama　and　the　lesson　of　George　Sand's　destiny。
  II
  BARONNE　DUDEVANT　MARRIAGE　AND　FREEDOMTHE　ARRIVAL　IN　PARIS　JULES　SANDEAU
  We　must　now　endeavour　to　discover　what　the　future　George　Sand's　experiences　of　marriage　were；　and　the　result　of　these　experiences　on　the　formation　of　her　ideas。
  〃You　will　lose　your　best　friend　in　me；〃　were　the　last　words　of　the　grandmother　to　her　granddaughter　on　her　death…bed。　The　old　lady　spoke　truly；　and　Aurore　was　very　soon　to　prove　this。　　By　a　clause　in　her　will；　Madame　Dupin　de　Francueil　left　the　guardianship　of　Aurore　to　a　cousin；　Rene　de　Villeneuve。　　It　was　scarcely　likely；　though；　that　Sophie…Victoire　should　consent　to　her　own　rights　being　frustrated　by　this　illegal　clause；　particularly　as　this　man　belonged　to　the　world　of　the　〃old　Countesses。〃　　She　took　her　daughter　with　her　to　Paris。　　Unfortunately　for　her；　Aurore's　eyes　were　now　open；　and　she　was　cultured　enough　to　have　been　in　entire　sympathy　with　her　exquisite　grandmother。　　It　was　no　longer　possible　for　her　to　have　the　old　passionate　affection　and　indulgence　for　her　mother；　especially　as　she　felt　that　she　had　hitherto　been　deserted　by　her。　　She　saw　her　mother　now　just　as　she　was；　a　light　woman　belonging　to　the　people；　a　woman　who　could　not　resign　herself　to　growing　old。　　If　only　Sophie…Victoire　had　been　of　a　tranquil　disposition！　　She　was　most　restless；　on　the　contrary；　wanting　to　change　her　abode　and　change　her　restaurant　every　day。　　She　would　quarrel　with　people　one　day；　make　it　up　the　next；　wear　a　different…shaped　hat　every　day；　and　change　the　colour　of　her　hair　continually。　　She　was　always　in　a　state　of　agitation。　　She　loved　police　news　and　thrilling　stories；　read　the　_Sherlock　Holmes_　of　those　days　until　the　middle　of　the　night。　　She　dreamed　of　such　stories；　and　the　following　day　went　on　living　in　an　atmosphere　of　crime。　　When　she　had　an　attack　of　indigestion；　she　always　imagined　that　she　had　been　poisoned。　　When　a　visitor　arrived；　she　thought　it　must　be　a　burglar。　　She　was　most　sarcastic　about　Aurore's　〃fine　education〃　and　her　literary　aspirations。　　Her　hatred　of　the　dead　grandmother　was　as　strong　as　ever。　　She　was　constantly　insulting　her　memory；　and　in　her　fits　of　anger　said　unheard…of　things。　　Aurore's　silence　was　her　only　reply　to　these　storms；　and　this　exasperated　her　mother。　　She　declared　that　she　would　correct　her　daughter's　〃sly　ways。〃　　Aurore　began　to　wonder　with　terror　whether　her　mother's　mind　were　not　beginning　to　give　way。　　The　situation　finally　became　intolerable。
  Sophie…Victoire　took　her　daughter　to　spend　two　or　three　days　with　some　friends　of　hers；　and　then　left　her　there。　　They　lived　in　the　country　at　Plessis…Picard；　near　Melun。　　Aurore　was　delighted　to　find　a　vast　park　with　thickets　in　which　there　were　roebucks　bounding　about。　　She　loved　the　deep　glades　and　the　water　with　the　green　reflections　of　old　willow　trees。　　Monsieur　James　Duplessis　and　his　wife；　Angele；　were　excellent　people；　and　they　adopted　Aurore　for　the　time　being。　　They　already　had　five　daughters；　so　that　one　more　did　not　make　much　difference。　　They　frequented　a　few　families　in　the　neighbourhood；　and　there　was　plenty　of　gaiety　among　the　young　people。　　The　Duplessis　took　Aurore　sometimes　to　Paris　and　to　the　theatre。
  〃One　evening；〃　we　are　told　in　the　_Histoire　de　ma　vie_；　〃we　were　having　some　ices　at　Tortoni's　after　the　theatre；　when　suddenly　my　mother　Angele　said　to　her　husband；　‘Why；　there's　Casimir！'　　A　young　man；　slender　and　rather　elegant；　with　a　gay　expression　and　a　military　look；　came　and　shook　hands；　and　answered　all　the　questions　he　was　asked　about　his　father；　Colonel　Dudevant；　who　was　evidently　very　much　respected　and　loved　by　the　family。〃
  This　was　the　first　meeting；　the　first　appearance　of　Casimir　in　the　story；　and　this　was　how　he　entered　into　the　life　of　Aurore。
  He　was　invited　to　Plessis；　he　joined　the　young　people　good…humouredly　in　their　games；　was　friendly　with　Aurore；　and；　without　posing　as　a　suitor；　asked　for　her　hand　in　marriage。　　There　was　no　reason　for　her　to　refuse　him。　　He　was　twenty…seven　years　of　age；　had　served　two　years　in　the　army；　and　had　studied　law　in　Paris。　　He　was　a　natural　son；　of　course；　but　he　had　been　recognized　by　his　father；　Colonel　Dudevant。　　The　Dudevant　family　was　greatly　respected。　　They　had　a　_chateau_　at　Guillery　in　Gascony。　　Casimir　had　been　well　brought　up　and　had　good　manners。　　Aurore　might　as　well　marry　him　as　any　other　young　man。　　It　would　even　be　preferable　to　marry　him　rather　than　another　young　man。　　H